Buy the Paperback:

About Early Christian Lives

Written between the mid-fourth and late sixth centuries to commemorate and glorify the achievements of early Christian saints, these six biographies depict men who devoted themselves to solitude, poverty and prayer. Athanasius records Antony’s extreme seclusion in the Egyptian desert, despite temptation by the devil and visits from his followers. Jerome also shows those who fled persecution or withdrew from society to pursue lives of chastity and asceticism in his accounts of Paul of Thebes, Hilarion and Malchus. In his Life of Martin, Sulpicius Severus describes the achievements of a man who combined the roles of monk, bishop and missionary, while Gregory the Great tells of Benedict, whose Rule became the template for monastic life. Full of vivid incidents and astonishing miracles, these Lives have provided inspiration as models for centuries of Christian worship.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

People Who Read Early Christian Lives Also Read

Inspired by Your Browsing History

People Who Read Early Christian Lives Also Read

Inspired by Your Browsing History

Table Of Contents

ChronologyMap of the World of Antony, Paul, Hilarion, Malchus, Martin and BenedictGeneral Introduction:The Early Development of MonasticismThe Writing of Biography: Pagan Past and Christian FuturePrincipal Primary Sources relating to Early MonasticismThe Saints in IconographyTranslation Past and Present

Further Reading

Early Christian LivesLife of Antony by AthanasiusLife of Paul of Thebes by JeromeLife of Hilarion by JeromeLife of Malchus by JeromeLife of Martin of Tours by Sulpicius SeverusLife of Benedict by Gregory the GreatNotes